Today I’m very happy to welcome Jessica Barry to Liz Loves Books telling us a bit about her latest novel Don’t Turn Around and a little bit about herself. I am currently reading this and let me tell you it is HIGHLY addictive. Details and purchase link after the interview.
Tell us a little about your current novel, what readers can expect from it..
Don’t Turn Around is about two women – strangers to each other – on a desperate midnight road trip together that quickly turns dangerous. Readers can expect a nail-biting page-turner that also explores some of the many threats that women face in our everyday lives. (At least I hope that’s what they’ll find!)
Academic or creative at school?
Academic. I was very much a color-within-the-lines kid at school, though my family called me a ‘space cadet’ because I was so often lost in my own world!
First job you really wanted to do?
As a kid, I really wanted to be a marine biologist. That pivoted to archaeologist when I got into high school – I actually entered university as an archaeology major, though I changed my tune pretty quickly when I realized how much math was involved.
Do you remember the moment you first wanted to write?
I dictated my first story to my mom when I was around four. It was about a king and a queen and a bumble bee. I wrote some bad poetry in my teenage years but I never really believed I could write professionally until I was in my late twenties. I still can’t believe it’s what I get to do for a living – it feels like a dream.
Funniest or most embarrassing situation you’ve found yourself in?
I did a very short book tour of the US for my first book (a rom com I wrote under my real name). I was absolutely terrified because I have a crippling fear of public speaking and kept having anxiety dreams about getting up in front of a big audience and passing out from terror. I even managed to get a prescription for beta blockers from my doctor. I shouldn’t have worried, though, because no one showed up to the events! The booksellers were all incredibly nice and apologetic when I would turn up to find an empty audience, but I was secretly relieved because it meant I didn’t have to face my fear.
DIY expert or phone a friend?
I’m a DIY wannabe, which tends to involve calling my poor father twenty times when trying to install a doorknob. I once ruined a freshly-painted wall because I insisted on installing a set of shelves myself. Three hours later, I had managed to put up a single (crooked) shelf and destroyed the drywall in the process.
Sun worshipper or night owl?
Sun worshipper.
A book that had you in tears.
The last book I cried over was Writers and Lovers by Lily King. I just loved the characters so much, and she really captured something beautiful about the writing process.
Thank you so much for taking the time!
About the Book:
TWO STRANGERS. DANGEROUS SECRETS. THEIR ONLY CHANCE IS EACH OTHER.
Cait’s job is to transport women to safety. Out of respect, she never asks any questions. Like most of the women, Rebecca is trying to escape something.
But what if Rebecca’s secrets put them both in danger? There’s a reason Cait chooses to keep on the road, helping strangers. She has a past of her own, and knows what it’s like to be followed.
And there is someone right behind them, watching their every move…
You can purchase Don’t Turn Around (Vintage) Here
Happy Reading!
